CAN THERE BE A UNION (OF

PAKISTAN) WITH INDIA?

Introduction:
If partition hadn't happened it would have been the best
thing. We were living like brothers and there was a lot of
love between us - everyone was doing well."

Said by Raghbir Singh, a citizen of India and eyewitness of partition.

(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6945626.stm)

If we refer to the relations among India and Pakistan the allusion might be
of 1947 but if the reference is towards the relations among the people across the
borders, history might elude, because we have spent thousands of years as
brethren and decades as separate nations. Can history repeat itself? Can both
the brothers prefer their ethnicity to their religion? Can there be union/reunion
of India and Pakistan?

The history of relations among the countries:

India and Pakistan, both the countries are known as arch rivals with a
history full of wars and bloodshed, they can be called as the only countries with
such a large number of direct or indirect wars on their credits. Both the countries
at the time of formation witnessed killings (of migrants) in millions, after a year
they fought their first war, then they had three more wars on their boundaries,
within six decades.

Trials for building peace within the area are also held as Dr. Mubashir
Hassan says in his article for Dawn news, 11 September, 2005:

Peace activism in the subcontinent touched

unprecedented heights in the 90’s. According to
documents consulted at the Ford Foundation offices in
New Delhi, the new non-governmental initiatives
launched, and institutions created, exclusively to
promote peace between India and Pakistan numbered
one in 1987, one in 1989, two each from 1991-1993,
eight in 1994, one in 1995 and one in 1996, the last
entry in the inventory. One can say with a degree of
certainty that the activism shown by the people and the
elite began to have the desired favourable impact on the
governments of India and Pakistan by the mid-90s.
Before that, the governments had remained unmoved.
 This writer is personally aware that when, in his first
term, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was keen to open a
dialogue with India, he did not receive a positive
response from Prime Minister Narasimha Rao. When
Benazir Bhutto took over as prime minister, Mr
Narasimha Rao was now keen to open negotiations, but
the Pakistani side would not relent. (Hassan, 11 Sept.,
2005)

Farhan Bukhari says about the failed peace treaties that Kashmir being the major problem between
these two, several peace movements were their like one in 2004 ( which was suspended after
mumbai blast in july) and the agreement to convene a joint anti-terrorism panel but every time the lack
of trust and lack of progress results in suspension of the treaties. (Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008)

All these observations show the hostile relations among these countries from
decades, but the current issues seem to be pointed towards a new direction, Musharraf is
now seen keen to keep negotiations with India and according to y M B Naqvi in his article in
The News ( 1,24,2007) has said that Musharraf has shown his consent to every demand of India on
the Kashmir dispute but India ( for the time being) is reluctant and according to him, its not easy for
India to settle the oldest dispute with its arch nuclear rival.

So the winds are changing, pointing towards a peaceful South Asia if the current policies of
the government might find a consent from both the sides and are acted upon.

Origin of the idea (of union):

The present-day international politics is also demanding a strong regional
state from both the countries if they want a better representation in the world,
and as both the countries had a glorious past when united, some of the folks
across both the borders are trying to see a glorious future, yet with a united
South Asia.

Comparisons of major fields of both the countries:

ADULT YOUTH PER FOREIGN PPP MILITARY
LITERACY LITERACY CAPITA EXCHANGE COUP
RATE RATE INCOME RESERVE
PAKISTAN 41.5 53.9 $2942 $169 mill. $475.4 4 TIMES.
bill.
INDIA 61.3 73.3 $3600 $275 bill. 4.164 Tried
trillion once in
time of
Indira
Gandhi

Why now?
The reasons for the softer relations between these countries if analyzed
individually can be stated as:
For Pakistan:

Several reasons Pakistan for make peace with India: Pakistan’s realization if it does not end its
support for the militants operating in Kashmir, India is going to by confronting Pakistan and isolating
it. Pakistan’s realization if it wants to be considered a responsible nation, it must distant itself from
the cloud of militants that currently spawn all over there. Pakistan’s realization that economy is what
decides if a country fails or succeeds rather than war.

Several reasons for India to make peace with Pakistan: India’s realization that if it does not settle its
differences with Pakistan, especially Kashmir, its economy would never be on par with China, and
thus precluding it from becoming a major player in Asia. Mr. Vajpayee’s desire to be seen as a
visionary leader, to distant himself from previous Indian leaders, who were unable to resolve disputes
between the two countries. Indian economy itself because if countries like Pakistan don’t trade with
India, it hurts India more than it does other countries, as it can’t be as sufficient as it could with their
participation.

Except India’s size, education, of its citizens, and absence of a military keen on coups, the difference
between the success of India and Pakistan is instability.

(http://www.chowk.com/articles/6970)

What type of union it might be?

A senior bureaucrat was consulted for this question and a brief interview
was encountered, the conclusion is listed below.

The union must in a form of Confederation with a common federal

assembly constituting members from all communities and controlling matters
related to defence, economy, foreign policy, education, currency and
infrastructure, the power of legislation must rest with the provincial assemblies
as they might be assembled by the people chosen by the majority of the region.
The Federation must act as a secular entity. Every person must have a right of
polling two votes, one for provincial assembly and other for the federal
parliament. The movement of people must be free across the country which
should be monitored on provincial level (inter-provincial movements).

If Berlin could unite after three decades of separation, we can make a

federation. The complete union might not be feasible because of the difference
of cause of division in both the areas. But still the time and distance can be
covered by peace and love.

Alluding towards the Berlin wall and the continuing trials of Korea for
unification, that bureaucrat gave quite a fine picture of United States of India
and Pakistan (as suggested on an online polling on www.orkut.com)
Hurdles:
According to Shahid M. Amin ( Pakistan’s foreign policy, a Reappraisal, pg.
24 ) the main reason of misunderstandings and accusing the other as “hate-
lobby” are the ruling classes of both Pakistan and India. The Kashmir dispute and
India’s efforts to undo Pakistan played the major role in the increased hatred on
the side of Pakistan, not only this but the hatred increased to a peak when India
played major role in tearing apart the East Pakistan from West Pakistan.

An online polling encountered in two communities in a site for the social

activities ( www.orkut.com) gave two different results about the question, Can
there be a union of India and Pakistan? The results are:

- Polling held in India Pakistan friendship club were quite favourable, with a
majority of Indian community, most of the Indians consented for the union/
reunion as they called it, referring to the past thousands of years spent
together, some Indians refused due to the instability of Pakistan. There
were even extremists who said that Islam is the main reason for tearing
apart our mother land, Purab being one of them said that Muslim invasion
was the reason that we brothers are not only torn apart but have even
developed “ the so-called” different ideologies .The statistics are:

Should there Yes, there No, never. We are ok as Can’t say.

be union of should. friends.
India-
Pakistan?
138 90 33 9

One other poll was started at the same community with the results:

Should there be Yes, of course No.

friendship between India-
Pakistan?
173 26

- These results startle the observer, it seems quite a smooth road to

formation of federation but the same question asked at a community
purely for Pakistanis, the results were not only 100% in negative but after
some hours, the thread was deleted too, reporting that it was creating
chaos in the community. Some of the voters in reason said that they how
can we forget the basic reason for struggle of Pakistan, while others
alluded to the sacrifices given for Pakistan, some of them said very clearly
that after 1971, Kashmir and Gujarat incidents they simply cannot trust
Hindus.

Compromises:
Assuming that all the hurdles are stepped for the national interest, still
compromises are to be made on both the sides, Pakistan has to compromise
more because Pakistan being a smaller state as compared to India is considered
more flexible too so it has to make changes in most of its administrative
departments and many others too. India has to compromise too, in a way that
Pakistan has a lagging economy and unstable defence, its image in the world is
not good too, as Henry Bernard Levy call it the most delinquent of all nations,
while India has an image of growing economy, safe borders and stable country. It
is true that on both sides of the border extremists are found but Pakistan’s
image is distorted more on this behalf as compared to India’s.

Future prospects:
Now if a desired federation do take place and a state is formed
comprising the two major countries of South Asia (it can be estimated that
Bangladesh might join the federation too), a strong regional state can be
envisioned and in that case the future aspects that can be considered are listed
below:

Economic prospects:
Economy of both the countries will boom, because in
the amount of GDP used for the military back up in both the countries can then
be used for the development of the lagging projects of both like trying to tackle
the poverty, illiteracy and low health condition of the inhabitants, not only this
but the domestic trade can then allow to decrease the import and can highly
increase the export of the states. Trade link if formed both the states can
prosper more than can be imagined. If Pakistan is provided with India’s wheat, it
can avoid the the payments to USA or Australia, same goes for India as its sugar
needs can be satisfied by Pakistan.

(http://www.chowk.com/articles/6970)

The tourism industry that is flourishing in India can be benefited by the

federation too, as the world’s oldest civilization’s remains still lie across our
side of border. Many other industries might get a chance to flourish one of which
might be the entertainment industry too.

Defensive prospects:
Only in the month of February (2008) both the countries
played a show of power with a high cost, more than a couple of nuclear
experiments were held in Pakistan to answer the nuclear experiments of India. If
the amount of money used over these experiments was used for some
developmental projects, the countries might have got very positive results of it.
Pakistan use approximately half of its income over defensive projects, if its
secured on its eastern border less than half of the present budget will be used
for the defence and India if relieved about Kashmir (which it naturally will be, in
case of a federation) can concentrate over more important projects.

Social prospects:
The result that can be achieved before any other is in social
prospect, because if on both sides trust is build, the social activities will be first
to be observed being flourished, these six decades passed separate will be tried
to be compensated. The culture will all be reviewed. In short it might be a
reappraisal of South Asian subcontinent.

The negative effect can be counted in form of lost of the religious

identities, the intermingling over the centuries has already had some negative
effects on Islamic culture, and it can again be threatening in that aspect.

Is it feasible/ viable?
All this study shows something very significant that the question of the topic that
CAN THERE BE A UNION OF PAKISTAN WITH INDIA?

It has a simple answer ‘NO’.

But if the question is a bit modified to
SHOULD THERE BE A FEDERATION OF PAKISTAN AND INDIA?

The only reasonable answer is ‘YES’.

The difference of both questions lies in the feelings of people across the borders. Indians without a
hesitation may say YES to it (ignoring the developing insecurity resulted after the Talibanization of
Waziristan.) those who are saying NO across the border in the east can be changed easily as
compared to the NO of the people on the west, they have deep rooted belief that Pakistan is related to
their religion.
Now the basic conclusion is that Indian population is ready for the Federation (union/reunion is not
feasible) and government seems a bit reluctant, while in Pakistan the government seems to be ready
for it, but the mass population look at the mention of the step as treachery with the country. So even
now on both sides a lot of trust building is needed with negotiation and discussion of practical ideas
and trial to make them popular among the general public because in case of Pakistan, it seems
impossible even to discuss it.

References:
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6945626.stm

Dr. Mubashir Hassan (11 Sept. 2005) Peace is the way. Dawn News.

(http://www.chowk.com/articles/6970)